Today marks twenty years since the infamous attack on the Army personnel in Nelliyadi in Vadamarachchi, Jaffna by LTTE cadre known as "captain miller" ,when he ploughed his explosives laden truck into a makeshift camp in 1987, killing 40 soldiers, injuring a dozen more. Thus LTTE entered the cult of suicide terrorism. Today Suicide attacks carried out by LTTE amounts more than 300 incidents, by far the most amount of attacks carried out by a single terrorist group in the world.
LTTE is topping the list of terrorist groups utilizing Suicide Terrorism in all possible categories. May be the only category they haven't so far touched are the use of Child bomber (they have Child soldiers-in fact ,plenty of them), plus Airborne suicide bomber category needs to be added up too. In the hall of fame(shame) they have used men, women, crippled people, partially blind people and even cattle too although in Non-LTTE lacuna term cattle fall into classification as animals. LTTE hierarchy even used pregnant women, as in the failed attack against the Commander of Sri Lanka Army.
In terms of targets they have used suicide bombers against a multitude of targets, ranging from Air Craft and Ships to Heads of State. Notable percentage of the victims list include a high amount of Tamils, including moderate politicians, intellectuals, artists, journalists and even ordinary citizens.
However, most alarming factor is that the LTTE over the past decade or more have embarked on a campaign to share suicide bombing technology and know-how among other Terrorist groups all over the world. LTTE has established strong links with almost all the major terror groups, and use such links for number of purposes, mainly to acquire weapons and associated material, training and intelligence.
There is a more covert and some what unknown LTTE links with the Central and South American Narco-Terrorist groups. This link is being used by LTTE as a channel to collect revenue via drugs smuggling and also to launder black money. Recent capture of a FARC rebel with a distinctive Suicide Bomb jacket that closely resembled the unique jacket type used by the LTTE, in Colombia is a strong indication of LTTEs sharing of bomb making know-how with Narco-terrorists.
Throughout North and East and oversease epspeacialy, North America and Europe ,LTTE commemorates 'Black Tiger Week' and culminating on the 5 th July, the "Black tiger day" when V.Prabakaran comes out (or since the last few years from within his bunker) and lights the 'Flame of sacrifice' symbolizing the homage to black tigers killed and also highlighting the LTTEs tradition of worshipping death and distraction.
LTTEs doctrine of warfare is centered on suicide bombers. And this is so evident in the level of training and devotion they place in selecting and training 'suicide Black Tigers'. Once a cadre is attached to the black tigers group , the members psychologically manipulate the new recruits, persuading them, "brainwashing" them to believe that by carrying out a suicide attack, they would find an honored place in the corridor of martyrs for the LTTEs cause, and their lives would be meaningful; moreover, their families would be financially rewarded.
From the time they are recruited, the group members never leave their sides, leaving them no opportunity of backing down from their fatal choice." The glorification of death steps in. The final meal with the 'great leader' V.Prabakaran is somewhat the grand finale of the pre-deployment process. Here the last meal with the leader is portrayed as LTTEs homage of tribute for the sacrifice the attacker is going to make.
LTTE is able to benefit from the death of a member immensely. Prabakaran from the beginning understood this, thus conferring a sense of legitimacy on the use of suicide bombers. The message is one of no going back. The group glorifies the act, infusing a culture of martyrdom that may include posters, songs, and flyers, street dramas and in doing so seeks to inspire others to join its ranks. Indeed, even before the bomber has struck, he is in many ways a living martyr. Before undertaking a specific operation, would be suicide bombers are photographed in heroic poses and videos recorded explaining reasoning behind becoming a Human bomb.
Today most of the Orphanages and Day care centres in many parts of Vanni (also in the East in Karadiyanaru,Tirikkovil ,Kokuvil, Thoppigala and Sampur - before the fall of East -) are run by the LTTE. This is done under the cover of TRO and 'White Pigeon' ,both organisations being a covert front of LTTE, their mail aim as they claim is to 'ensure the welfare, wellbeing and education' of all war affected orphans of 'maveer' (LTTE veterans ) families.
However, not only orphans and young of the LTTE, but also children brought from other Orphanages run by both the government and the church are also part of these LTTE 'homes for children'. They are constantly exposed to LTTE propaganda and all their day to day functions are linked to activities of the LTTE.
Rituals and traditions followed in such homes are of the LTTE and not of Hinduism or Christianity. all this effort in the end is to breed and to train a generation of LTTE 'super fighters' who are from the tender ages , trained ,indoctrinated and brainwashed to blindly follow the LTTE and its 'great leader' .even the names of the homes bear the names of late suicide cadres of LTTE.
Such is the extent of the LTTEs attempts to crate a tradition of suicide terrorism. Ultimately, LTTE wants its entire cadre of fighters to sacrifice their own lives for the Organisations, in the name of its leader and for a common goal (a common goal which is dictated by the leader and, lesser mortals having no say in).
This was no more evident than in the failed attack against the present commander of the Sri Lanka Army, inside the Army HQ in Colombo, last year. a female suicide bomber gained access to the Military Hospital located within the Army HQ , due to her pregnancy , and as a result of the attack she not only killed herself but also the unborn baby. Such is the level of LTTEs respect for humanity. By using a pregnant woman, not only did it portray the murderous tradition they follow but also displayed its language of death.
In reality use of suicide bombers is the outcome of crude cost-benefit analysis in the part of LTTE hierarchy; representing the most efficient manner the LTTE can inflict maximum damage whilst incurring the least cost. In lay mans terms, use of suicide terrorism for LTTE represents "value for money"; it is brutally efficient, cheap, and until recently, has been easy to organize.
So today, 20 years after the first use of a suicide bomber by LTTE, Prabakaran commemorates 300+ of his human sacrifices, while the Tamil Diaspora in West and Europe celebrate the culture of death; they have to ask themselves, what they gained in the end. Eelam is no where to be seen and LTTE seems to be the main instigator against the devolution of power and also Peace Negotiated in Norway.
In retrospect what a price the Tamil community had to pay for an untenable dream, a false cause and a crusade to sustain a rain of terror. When the time comes will Prabhakaran task his UK educated son or UK educated Daughter as a suicide bomber?
Never, Never, Never.
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